49ers’ Jarryd Hayne: One of many Australians to play in NFL

San Francisco 49ers‘ running back and return man Jarryd Hayne is clearly taking the NFL by storm. As the hashtag “HaynePlane” trends on Twitter, the Aussie consistently finds ways to make highlight-reel plays. Though not guaranteed a roster spot, Hayne has still joined a select group of Australians to have earned try-outs with NFL teams. Most of these players, but by no means all, have been punters. Here is a full list of all Aussies to have left the “Land Down Under” to try their hand at America’s greatest game.

Success

These Aussies were able to make a roster and played in NFL regular season games.

Colin Ridgway (1965)

Ridgway was the first Aussie to make it in the NFL, being signed by the Dallas Cowboys out of Lamar Tech (now Lamar University) in 1965. The former Australian Rules Football athlete also competed in the high jump in the 1956 Olympics and 1958 Commonwealth Games, clearly showing his prowess as an athlete. When he finally could not make the Olympic squad for the 1960 Olympics, Ridgway, still an amateur, decided to try his luck as a collegiate athlete in the USA. This brought him to Lamar.

Then the Cowboys discovered him and decided to give him a shot. Ridgeway only played 3 games for “America’s Team” as a punter — apparently the “running drop-kick” used in Aussie Rules Football didn’t translate as well as both sides hoped. No coaching had been developed to translate the skills yet, either.

Ridgway did become a successful business man in the Dallas area after his short NFL career. Unfortunately, his life — like his NFL career — was brought to a premature end when Ridgway was murdered in University Park, Texas in 1993. The case remains open to this day.

Next: More Successful Aussies